I take the hand he is resting on my thigh. “Would it bother you if I did?”
He nods, and his face falls serious.
I smile softly. “I like this person.”
He frowns.
I cup his face and lean over to kiss him. “I like this person who is with me here tonight.”
“What do you mean?” He frowns.
“Why aren’t you like this all the time with me?”
“Like what?”
“Gentle and understanding.” I smile.
“I don’t know why I’m the way I am. I have this raging temper that… I don’t know. I fly off the handle and can’t control myself until it’s too late.”
“Too late?” I frown. “Is that why you’ve never had a girlfriend because of your temper?”
He smiles and then breaks into a chuckle. “Fuck, no, I never cared about a woman enough to lose my temper with them.”
“So, why have you lost it with me numerous times?” I frown.
His eyes search mine, and I know he’s trying to tell me that he cares.
I could push him to say it, but he doesn’t probably even realise it himself yet.
“What do you mean by too late?” I ask. “When have you lost your temper and it’s been too late?”
His face falls serious, with eyes glancing across the restaurant to avoid mine. Brock takes a swig of his beer. “I killed my father with my temper.”
I freeze at once. “What?”
He stares at the floor in front of him for a moment and I can see he’s right back there reliving it.
“My sister was dating someone I didn’t approve of.” He pauses, taking in a breath. “I lost my shit and attacked him at my parents’ house.”
My heart sinks.
“We had a fight, and my father tried to break us up.” He into the distance and pauses again, the story obviously hard for him to speak of. “He had a massive heart attack on the spot.”
I squeeze his hand in mine. “Brock,” I whisper, pained for him.
“My cousin Cameron was there and was just out of med school. He tried to save him in the back of the ambulance with defibrillators.”
Brock sips his beer again, his eyes void of emotion, and I feel sick as I imagine the horror of what it must have been like to be there on that day.
“He died anyway,” he tells me sadly. “It fucked Cameron up for a long time, too. My father was the first patient he ever lost.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “And you still blame yourself?”
“Every day.”
I drop my head and think for a moment. I don’t know what to say.
“Every time I watch my sisters and my mother cry over my father’s absence, I die a little inside.”
I get a lump in my throat. “Brock.”
His sad eyes come up to meet mine. I know that was a big deal for him to tell me that. I know it’s probably something that he would usually guard closely. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For showing me what’s underneath your temper.” I pick up his hand and gently kiss the back of it.
His eyes search mine.
“We can work with your temper, baby,” I kiss his hand again, “if you give me this side of yourself more often. We can work with anything.”
He looks so lost in this conversation and being open with me, I can tell that statement meant a lot to him. He just has no idea how to verbalise it yet. I get up and go around to his side of the table to sit on his lap. I wrap my arms arounds his neck and kiss him tenderly, our lips hovering over each other’s. I wish we were alone right now. I need to change the subject and not make a big deal out of what he just told me.
“Did you know that I have next week off work?”
“You do?” He smiles, seeming grateful for my change of topic.
“Yep.” I shake my head. “I was supposed to be going to Hawaii.”
“You were going to Hawaii?” He frowns.
“Yeah, but I cancelled it last week.”
“How come?”
“You’re not the only idiot around here.” I sigh, and he smiles, pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “The girl I was going with pulled out a few weeks ago, but then last week, when I was freaking out, I cancelled my trip, too.”
“Why were you freaking out?”
“Over you.” I push his hair back from his forehead and kiss him. “Told you I was an idiot.”
He chuckles and bites my shoulder, making me jump. “How is this my fault? Why would you cancel a trip because of me?” He looks up at me, and he’s so damn beautiful I could just bite him back.
The waiter arrives with our food, so I get up and go back to my side of the table. “Can you tell him to stop pulling me onto his lap, please? It’s very distracting,” I ask the waiter sweetly as I pull my chair in.
The two of them chuckle, and the waiter places our huge bowls of nachos in front of us. “Will that be all?”
“Two more drinks, please,” Brock tells him.
“Of course, and please stay off his lap, miss,” he jokes before he disappears again.
I dig into my nachos, pushing one loaded with salsa into my mouth, and then I smile mischievously over at Brock.
“You didn’t answer me?” he reminds me.
“Oh.” I stuff another nacho into my mouth. “Because I was feeling all clingy and attached to you.” I roll my eyes. “And I knew I wanted to be with you, but I felt too guilty to end it with Simon.” I shrug. “It just all seemed too hard.”
He frowns, chewing on his food. “But why would you cancel a trip because of that?”
“I didn’t want to leave you, dummy,” I mutter dryly. “Clingy and attached means clingy and attached.”
He smirks, and then his smirk turns into a grin, his grin soon turning into a huge beaming smile.
His smile is contagious, and I giggle as I continue to eat. “What?”
“Clingy and attached?”
“Don’t.” I smirk. “I know how pathetic it sounds, even to me.”
His eyes twinkle in delight.
I roll mine. “You know how I changed the subject for you before?”
He smiles.
“You need to change the subject now for me. It’s your turn to take the heat off me.”
He rolls his lips and narrows his eyes at me as he pretends to think of something to say. “Hmm.” He shakes his head. “Nope, I’ve got nothing that will distract us from the fact that you’re being clingy and attached.”
My mouth falls open as I fake shock. “Stop saying it out loud,” I whisper.
“Nope.” He throws another nacho into his mouth. The waiter walks past. “Excuse me,” Brock calls to him.
The waiter turns back. “Yes, sir.”
Brock points to me. “She’s feeling clingy and attached to me.”
The waiter breaks into a broad smile, his eyes flicking between us. “Ah.” He nods. “That explains why she won’t stay off your lap then.” He turns and walks off.
“Exactly.” Brock smirks as he throws another chip into his mouth, his eyes dancing with mischief as he watches me.
I sip my drink. “Just hurry up and eat your dinner so you can take me home and do obscene things to my body. I’m just using you for sex, you know?”
Brock swigs his beer. “Your wish is my command. Tonight, your stage name shall be Miss Cock Pocket.”
I choke on my drink. “Well, at least it isn’t Princess Pussy Porridge,” I splutter.
He tries to swig his beer and then breaks out into a low chuckle.
“Where do you get this shit?” I giggle.
He shrugs. “It’s my hidden talent.”
Two hours later, the room is filled with steam when Brock bends and slowly slides my pants down to the floor. We’re in his bathroom, and the night has taken an unexpected turn.
I feel close to him. Whatever this is between us, it feels intimate.
He opened up a little, and while I know it’s far from everything I need from him, it’s definitely a start. He leans in and kisses my sex, and then rises and slowly pops open the buttons on my work shirt. My heart is beating fast in my chest and my breath quivers in anticipation. He takes my hardened nipple into his mouth, biting it as his two hands roam up and down my body. I know he’s been looking forward to this as well. My hands run through his hair. I can feel my sex throbbing in anticipation. I can’t take it, I need him naked. I slide his T-shirt up over his head, and my hands drift across his large chest and over his shoulders. His dark eyes hold mine before our lips collide. He sucks on my mouth with just the right amount of pressure and I feel my legs go weak beneath me.
I run my fingers down his rippled abdomen and slowly slide them down to undo his jeans. I pull them down and he kicks them off, leaving me free to slide my hand up his thick shaft and stroke a few times as we kiss. Pre-ejaculate beads, and I slide my hand over the end to smear it down his length.
He inhales sharply. “Shower,” he says low and commanding. “I need you in bed.” Our kiss turns desperate as his hand slides through my wet sex and slides three fingers into me. I wince from his aggression.
“I need this beautiful creamy cunt around my cock. Now.”
He pulls me under the water and pins me against the wall. His hard cock slides back and forth up over my stomach as he takes the soap and carefully washes me.